Sliding door supporting apparatus



March 1l, 1941.

l..y SHAFER SLIDING DOOR SUPPORTING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 29, 1940 sw yATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFiCE sLrDING DoonSUPPORTING APPARATUS Ira Shafer, San Diego, lalii".V i ApplicationJanuary 429, 1940,; serial No. '316,184

" A 6 Cairns. (c1. 165-4104) i v My invention relates to a sliding doorsupporting apparatus, more particularly adapted for use in suspendingdoorsin shiftable relation with door openings in narrow walls and theobjects of my invention are:

First, to provide a sliding door supporting apparatus of this classwhich is very free and easy to operate and which will not jam or becomewedged in the door supporting frame;

l0 Second, to provide a sliding door supporting apparatus of this classwhich is very smooth and quiet in operation;

Third, to provide a sliding door supporting apparatus of this class inwhich adjustable members provide relative adjustment between the doorand the door supporting frame;

Fourth, to provide a sliding door supporting apparatus of this class inwhich door supporting rollers are provided with straight surfacedannular edges which have a constant radial contact surface engageablewith roller supporting special track members thereof for free and easyoperation;

l Fifth, to provide a sliding door supporting apparatus of this class inwhich door supporting rollers are provided with an axial guide memberwhich retains said rollers in parallel radial alignment with the door inconnection therewith for ease of operation and prevention of wear;

s Sixth, to provide a sliding door supporting apparatus of this classwhich is very strong and durable;

Seventh, to provide permanent means for the operating parts; and

Eighth', to provide a sliding door supporting apparatus of this classwhich is very simple and economical ofconstruction, ecient inv its'action and which will not readily deteriorate or get out of order.

40 With these and other objects in View as will appear hereinafter, myinvention consists of certain novel features of construction,combination and arrangement of parts and portions as will be hereinafterdescribed in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims,reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the characters ofreference thereon which form Aa part of this application in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of my sliding door supporting apparatustaken from the line I-I of Fig. 2 showing portions fragmentarily andAparts in elevation to facilitate `the illustration; Fig. v2 is afragmentary sectional view taken fromA3 the line 2-2 of Fig. l showingparts and portions in elevation to facilitate the illustration; Fig. 3

lubrication is a fragmentary plan sectional view taken from the line3'-,-3 of Fig. 2 and Fig. 4is a fragmentary sectional view taken fromthe line 4 4 of Fig. 2. `Similar characters of reference refer tosimilar parts Aand portions throughout the several views of the drawing.v v

The door supporting frame members I and 2, door supporting rollers 3 and4, roller axle 5, washers 6, grease retainer washers 1, roller guidemember .8, roller track members 9, door sup- 1o porting bolt III, boltanddoor connection plate II and the door I2 constitute the principalparts and portions of my sliding door supporting apparatus.

The ydoor supporting frame members I and 2 15 are secured together inparallel relation with each other with a spacer member Ib therebetweenanda member Ic which is positioned in transverse relation with thespacer Ib and which is parallel with the door supporting members I 20and 2. This member Ic extends into recess portions Id and 2b in the doorsupporting frame members I and 2 respectively at its opposite ends. Thedoor supporting frame members I and 2 are provided with substantiallyrectangular 25 recessed portions Ia and 2a. on the lower side of whichare positioned the roller track members 9, it being noted that anopening," is provided between the frame members I and 2 below the lowerside of said recess portions Ia and 2a, re- 30 spectively. This openingis substantially the width of the spacer member Ib and extends inparallel relation with the frame members I and 2.

The door supporting rollers 3 and 4 are made 35 of ber or other suitablecomposition, and are revolubly mounted on opposite ends of the rolleraxle 5; Positioned on this axle 5 near the outer ends thereof at theouter 'sides of the rollers 3 and 4 are the Washers 6. The greaseretainer 40 washers 1 are arcuate in cross section, as shown in Fig. 1of the drawing and are positioned on the roller axis 5 at the inner sideof the rollers 3 and 4, it being noted that the arcuate form of thesegrease container washers 'I permit the 45 insertion of grease at oneside of each of the rollers 3 and 4 adjacent said washers 1 around theaxle 5.

The axle 5 is peened at both ends and thereby retains the washer 6 inposition. The axle 5 50 is provided with recess portions 5b in itsopposite ends in which are tted the opposite ends 8a of the roller guidemember 8, as shown best in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing.

Theroller track members 9 are positioned in 55 the lower side of therecess portions Ia and 2a of the door supporting frame members I and 2and are inlaid at their edge portions 9a in the frame members I and 2.These roller track members 9 are preferably made of `hard wearingcomposition, such as masonite or the like or any other suitable materialas desired. These roller track members 9 are provided with a smoothupper surface and are arranged to support the door supporting rollers 3and 4 thereon. These rollers 3 and 4 are held in parallel alignment withthe track 9 by means of the side portions 8b of the roller guide member8 in engagement with the vertical side walls of the recess portions Iaand 2a of the frame members I and 2 respectively, it being noted thatthis roller guide member 8 is substantially U shaped and is providedwith round corners 8c which will not catch on the frame members I and 2while moving back and forth in engagement therewith.

The door supporting bolt I is provided with a screw threadedl portion I0a on its upper end which is screw threaded in an enlarged middleportion a of the roller axle 5. `The shank of this bolt I0 extendsdownwardly from the axle 5 between the spaced frame members I and 2 attheir lower side provided with a substantially square in cross sectionhead portion I 0b near its' lower end which is positioned in the slottedportion IIa of the bolt and door connection plate II. Positioned beneaththe bolt and door connection plate II is the enlarged head portion Illcof the door supporting bolt I l) which overlaps the side edges of theslotted portions IIaofgthe bolt and door connection plate II. This *boltand door connection platel II is secured on the upper side of the doorI2 by means of the screws IIb, as shown best in Fig. 2 of. the drawing.It will be noted that the slotted portions I Ia of the bolt and doorconnection plate II is arranged so that the door I2 may be removed anddisconnected from the bolt I 0 when it is desired to adjust the bolt I0in' its screw threaded relation with the roller axle 5 permitting therelative spaced relation of the frame members 'I and 2 with the door I2to be changed as' desired.

'Ihe operation of my sliding doorv supporting apparatus is substantiallyas follows: The rollers 3 and 4 positioned on the roller track members 9are guided on said track members by means of the roller guide member 8in engagement with the inner surfaces of the frame members I and 2,while said rollers are rolling back and forth in connection with thesliding door I2, ity'being noted, of course, that two or more sets ofrollers may be provided to support a door. When' it 'iz-.suA desired toadjust the spaced relation of the doorv I2 and the frame members Iand'2, the door I2 is Vlifted upwardly then forced sideways so that thesquare portion I0b of the bolt I0 slides out of the slotted portion I laof the bolt connection plate II. The bolt I0 is then adjusted as desiredin its screw threaded connection with the axle 5 and the door I2 isreplaced on the portion IUb of the bolt I 0 whereby the head of the boltI 0 is positioned in a recess in the under side of the bolt connectionplate I I so that it may not be easily shifted outwardly from theslotted portion I Ia.

Though I have shown and described a particular construction, combinationand arrangement of parts and portions, I do not wish to be limited tothis particular construction, combination and arrangement, but desire toinclude in the scope of my invention the construction, combination andarrangement substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a sliding `door supporting apparatus of the class described, thecombination of a pair of rollers mounted in a passageway of a framemember, an axle for said rollers and a substantially U-shaped guidemember secured to opposite ends of said axle engageable with said framemember for holding said rollers in radial longitudinal alignment withsaid frame member.y

2. In a sliding door supporting apparatus of the .classdescribed, thecombination of rollers mounted in a passageway of' a frame member and asubstantially U-shaped guide member connected with opposite sides ofsaid rollers.

3. In a` sliding door supporting apparatus of the class described, thecombination of rollers mounted in a passageway of a frame member and asubstantially U-shaped guide member connected with opposite sides ofsaid rollers, and an axle upon which said rollers are mounted.

4. In a sliding door supporting apparatus of the class described, thecombination .of rollers mounted in a passageway of a frame member, anaxle for said rollers, and a substantially U-shaped guide member securedon said axle.

v5. In a sliding door supporting apparatus of theclass described, aroller mounted in a passageway of a frame member and a U-shaped guidemember connected at opposite sides of said roller.

6. In a sliding door supporting apparatus of the class described, thecombination of a' pair of rollers mounted in a passageway of a framemember, an axle Vfor said rollers and a substantially U-shaped guidemember secured to said axle engageable with said frame member-forholding said rollers in radial longitudinal alignment with said framemember.

IRA SHAFER.

